Alabama Youth Summit Representatives To Present Issues To Siegelman On April 25

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Representatives of Alabama Youth Summit 2001 will present their “top ten issues concerning Alabama’s youth” to Gov. Don Siegelman at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 25.

The issues, which include constitutional reform, education funding, voter identification and home rule, were defined by some 250 high school student leaders who attended the Alabama Youth Summit at The University of Alabama in February. The students, all of whom had been involved in Boys State, Girls State or Alabama Youth Legislature, discussed a wide variety of issues and proposed solutions to some of the state’s most pressing problems. They voted on the top ten problems, with constitutional reform heading the list.

Presenting the recommendations to the governor at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, will be Christy Gantt, Girls State governor; Adam Teeter, Boys State governor, and Kimmie Lipscomb, Youth Legislature governor. They will be joined by Katie Boyd, a UA freshman and student chair of Youth Summit, and April McKenzie, graduate assistant in the UA Office of Student Affairs and coordinator of Youth Summit.
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Youth Summit 2001
Top Ten Issues Concerning Alabama’s Youth
Constitutional Convention – Alabama is in desperate need of constitutional reform and should call a constitutional convention to draft a new constitution for our state.
Funding – Alabama’s educational system needs more funding. Currently the state has many options for increasing funding that it has yet to tap. This includes raising property taxes, budgeting more money for education and less for highway bonds, and utilizing portions of the gas tax to fund education.
Voter identification – All voters should be identified by license or another form of identification before they can vote.
Home rule – Give the counties and cities the power to govern themselves instead of putting every new law proposed to a statewide vote.
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court should be appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate using the same methods as the federal government.
Teacher tenure – Teacher tenure should be harder to obtain and maintain After three years a teacher should be eligible for tenure. After tenure is obtained, teachers will continued to be observed and tested at random times. If a teacher fails these tests they should lose tenure but maintain their job. They must reapply for tenure the following year. If no improvements have been made, the teacher should be released.
Asbestos reform – Create and enforce stricter laws pertaining to asbestos.
Juvenile crime & punishment
Replacement of current method of execution – Alabama should move away from electrocution and implement lethal injection.
Requirement of all health care workers to have the BCG immunization for tuberculosis